Smarti's Secret
by The Enthusiast
Summary: Marti was such a happy child. She laughed, danced, made messes, and loved to play pretend. If all these things were true, then when Marti began showing signs of totally opposite behavior, what did the MacDonaldVenturi family think?
1. Prolouge

I know this is short, but Prologues are supposed to be...I think? Whatever. I'm changing the ages -- let's just make everyone younger, because for this story to work, George and Nora must be married by the time Marti is just about two years old. You'll find out later.

Disclamer: Don't own 'em. Duh.

IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT write your guesses as to where this story is going in a review, I want it to be suspensful. You guys are probably going to get it, just please don't ruin it for the others. Thanks!

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"Hey Smarti!" Derek said and scooped up a giggling Marti. They made their way out of the daycare center at which two-year-old Marti was currently enrolled. When Marti first came to the school, her teacher remarked passingly on how Marti loved to play pretend so much. She would run straight to the dress-up bins when dropped off. The teachers were always interested in what she would be today. She seemed to love to be "real" things -- when other girls were unicorns or princesses, Marti was a firefighter or a policewoman.

Marti was such a happy child. She laughed and jumped all the time. She was also a messy girl -- she left her toys out and all over the place.

If all these things were true, then when Marti began showing signs of different and sometimes totally _opposite _behavior, what did the MacDonald/Venturi family think of it?


	2. First Sign

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT write your guesses as to where this story is going in a review, I want it to be suspensful. You guys are probably going to guess it, just please don't ruin it for the others. Thanks!

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Today was Saturday. Breakfast, to be exact: Nora was out shopping, George was cooking (they guessed it was eggs, but they couldn't be sure), Derek and Casey were fighting over Cocoa Puffs, Edwin and Lizzie were making notes on their behavior. And Marti...wait, where is she?

"Marti, time to eat!" George yelled. They waited, but the little Marti didn't show up. Derek yelled "Smarti" and she still didn't come. Derek and the others assumed that she was just really engrossed in the new Ariel DVD, but something in Casey's gut told her to look for Marti.

"Marti! Marti!" Casey yelled. She walked down the hall and kept going until she came to Marti's room. Marti's back was turned to Casey, and she was hiding something.

"Marti!" Casey said. Marti did not hear her, apparently -- or she was ignoring her, because she did not turn around. Casey's stomach dropped, and she grabbed Marti by the shoulder. What was she hiding?

Marti looked up at Casey, and Casey's stomach suddenly turned.

Marti stared at Casey for five seconds, and Casey found herself hypnotized. Marti's eyes were dead and apathetic -- not sparkling with light like usual. Casey finally was finally able to tear herself away from Marti's horrible state and saw what the little girl had been hiding before.

Her toys! The trucks, the barbies, the Bob-the-Builders, the matchbox cars...they were all in a presice, straight, meticulous line, leading from Marti's feet to the window. It looked innocent enough...but Casey felt it wasn't. She finally tore her eyes away from the scene to look back at Marti, inwardly shuddering. But Marti was seemingly back to normal now -- her eyes were sparkling once again. But this time, her smile seemed fake. She rose up and tilted her head slightly at an angle.

"Time for breakfast!" she said, and turned around, walking uncharacterstically slow and, strangly, on her tiptoes.

Casey watched her go, and sat there for a long time after. One thought continuously ran through her head:

_What is wrong with Marti?_


	3. Second Sign

Nope, don't own it.

A/N: You guys, I'm SO sorry! I should've updated a LOT sooner. I could have a lot of exuses, but I'm just going to apologize and try to upload faster. Again, I'm sorry.

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Recap: 

_Marti stared at Casey for five seconds, and Casey found herself hypnotized. Marti's eyes were dead and apathetic -- not sparkling with light like usual. Casey finally was finally able to tear herself away from Marti's horrible state and saw what the little girl had been hiding before._

_Her toys! The trucks, the barbies, the Bob-the-Builders, the matchbox cars...they were all in a presice, straight, meticulous line, leading from Marti's feet to the window. It looked innocent enough...but Casey felt it wasn't._

The next day:

Casey walked in on what she believed to be an utter and mortal tragedy. It was 9:00 on a Sunday morning and everyone in the house was situated in front of the television. Well, she took it as her sole responsibility to stop this chaos. For cartoons, she substituted baking cookies, which was not to Derek or Edwin's liking. Marti, however, was ecstatic.

She bounded into the kitchen behind Casey and helped her get out the baking supplies.

"So should we make sugar or chocolate chip?"

"Chocolate ch-iiiiip!" was the chorus of voices. Casey nodded and got out the chocolate chip bag. She had to restrain Edwin, as he went running toward the candy.

"For the _cookies, _Edwin." He just nodded meekly.

Marti laughed and grabbed the chocolate chip bag. She ran gleefuly from Casey, around the island and across the kitchen to the other side. Casey scowled, and Derek's encouraging laughs did not do anything to help. But all of the sudden, Marti dropped the bag. She was staring intently at the cupboards, brows furrowed. Casey ignored this, glad that she had stopped running.

Marti did not move.

The rest of the family went about making the snack. No one noticed what Marti was doing until Casey pulled a classic Klutzilla.

She was walking across the kitchen, headed for the fridge, when she tripped over the cans. She pulled herself up, and her bruised pride was forgotten. Marti had been stacking cans!

When Marti saw that her tower of cans were knocked over, she looked confusedly at them, not knowing what to do. So she cried.

It wasn't the traditional Marti wail -- her eyes silently filled with tears. She did not let one sob escape, she just sat there, looking at the cans, tears running down her cheeks. No one moved, or dared to even draw a breath. Casey stood up and grabbed Marti's hand, tugging her, not daring to talk. Marti shook her head fervently and did not respond. She picked up the cans and returned them to their former stacks.

Something spoke to Casey, in her gut she supposed, that told her she needed to get Marti away from those cans. She knew Marti loved pretend.

"Marti, come play pretend with me!" she said with false cheerfulness.

Marti refused. She opened and closed her mouth several times and appeared strained, as if was painful to speak. She winced, and finally got out a quiet "no". She slowly turned around solemnly and resumed stacking.

Once again, the other family members were a little uncertain, but still assumed the strange behavior was a fluke. All exept Casey, that is. She felt that this, as well as the toy incident yesterday, was a recipe for something that was surely not a fluke.


End file.
